Texans Realize that Williams Was Not the Fans' First Choice

NEW YORK, April 29 -- Houston Texans owner Robert McNair said Saturday he realizes that his team angered many of its followers by using the top selection in the NFL draft on North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, passing over hometown hero Vince Young and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

But McNair defended his club's choice, saying it wasn't made for financial reasons and was designed to give the Texans a chance to overtake the Indianapolis Colts at some point as the best team in the AFC South.

"I realize that," McNair said when asked about the widespread fan disenchantment in Houston with the pick, "and I think that's going to be a temporary situation. It's up to us to go out and win football games. If we win football games, they're going to say you made the right decision. If we don't win football games, they say you're stupid. But if we don't win football games, they say you're stupid anyway, so what difference does that make?"

The Texans negotiated with Bush, the University of Southern California's electrifying tailback, in the days leading up to the draft but signed Williams on Friday night to a six-year, $54 million contract that included $26.5 million in bonuses. Bush rejected an identical proposal from Houston.

"Obviously we were not just going to settle for anything," Bush said Saturday. "That's a part of negotiating is you try to get the best contract, especially when you're the number one pick."

McNair said he thought the Texans could have signed Bush if they'd continued negotiating with him and his agent, Joel Segal. McNair said the choice was left to the Texans' new coach, Gary Kubiak, and he opted for a pass rusher. The Texans announced at midweek that they would not select Young, the Houston native who quarterbacked the University of Texas to last season's national title.

"Vince Young was very popular in Houston," McNair said. "Reggie Bush is, too. It was a tough choice. It was offense versus defense. That was the issue. . . . Look at it this way: If we had Bush, would we outscore Indianapolis? Our decision was no.

"What's our best chance of beating Indianapolis? That's with a pass rush, and that's Mario Williams. . . . Our defensive [coaches] said, 'I've been around 20 years in this league and I haven't seen a player come along with the physical talent that this guy has got. He can be another Reggie White.' That's what our people think."

The Texans used about two minutes of their 15-minute allotment to make the choice official. Williams shook Bush's hand in the waiting area at Radio City Music Hall, then went on stage and shook Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's hand while the crowd chanted, "Over-rated!"

Williams said later: "Reggie and Vince are great players. I'm going to win them [the fans] over regardless. I'm going to come in and make plays and be productive. They don't have to worry about me coming in and being a bust."